Resistance welding machine



A. NEUKOM ETAL RESISTANCE WELDING MACHINE June 22, 1965 Filed Nov. e; 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet l mi In flume f (IMQ- June 22, 11165 A. NEuKoM ETAL 3,191,001

v RESISTANCE WELDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 6, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .7n ma/'fionr 19%@ Alenbn. Raaf Jaim June 22, 1965 Filed NOV. 6, 1962 A. NEuKoM ETAL RESISTANCE WELDING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS: fn mep vn/Kon BY RUL F 5 cfr/1 f? L 3,191,001 RESISTANCE WELBING MACHNE Alfred Neuirom, Dabendorf, and Roli' Schaal, Schlieren, Switzerland, assignors to H. A. Schlafster A.G., Zoliilion, Zurich, Switzerland Filed Nov. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 235ml@ Claims priority, application Switzerland, Nov. 7, 1h61,

12,968/ 61 5 Claims. (Cl. 219-1ll1) The present invention relates to resistance welding machines in general, and more particularly to a iiash or butt Welding machine which is especially suited for forming welded joints between large and comparatively heavy sections of workpieces with or without preheating. In such machines, the butt-ended sections of workpieces must be subjected to substantial upsetting presusres.

Many conventional liash or butt welding machines are provided with two clamping or work holding mechanisms with one thereof movable in the direction of feed, such direction normally coinciding with the direction in which upsetting pressure is applied to the butt-ended sections. As a rule, the movable clamping mechanism assumes the form of a carriage which is reciprocable along the base or bed of the welding machine. Consequently, the base is subjected to substantial bending stresses and its guideways for the carriage must withstand all such forces which tend to tilt the carriage during the application of upsetting pressures. lf the upsetting pressures are large (such pressures may reach and often exceed 35,000 p.s.i.), the base and the carriage must be of exceedingly bulky construction.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved iiash or butt welding machine which is constructed and assembled in such a way that the upsetting pressures cannot subject the guide means for 'the movable clamping mechanism to any appreciable bending stresses.

Another objec tor the invention is to provide a welding machine of the just outlined characteristics wherein the distribution of upsetting pressures is more uniform than in convenitonal welding machines of which we are aware at this time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which is especially suited `for ilash or butt welding of large workpieces and which is constructed and assembled in such a way that the means which applies upsetting pressures to the butt-ended sections of workpieces may be rapidly moved to and from its operative position.

With the above objects in View, the invention resides in the provision o' a resistance welding machine which is especially suited for welding of workpieces whose sections are butt-ended together. The machine comprises a stationary work supporting member or block which is provided'with first work holding means adapted to clamp one section of a workpiece, a second work supporting member or block which is provided with second work holding means adapted to clamp the other section or" the workpiece and which is reciprocable with respect to the stationary supporting member in a straight path between a lirst position in which the sections clamped by the respective work holding means are spaced apart and a second position in which the sections are butt-ended together at the Welding station of the machine, and guide means for the second supporting member. This guide means comprises a plurality of tie rods lixed to the stationary supporting member and slidably supporting the second supporting member. In accordance with an advantageous feature of our invention, the tie rods are parallel with the path of the second supporting member and are arranged symmetrically with respect to the welding station. For example, it the i i United States Patent lhldl Fatented .lune 22, 1965 ICC machine comprises two tie rods, one thereof may be located at a level above and the other is then located at a level below the welding station.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. rlhe invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a partly elevational and partly sectional view of a welding machine which embodies our invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the machine as seen in the direction of arrow Il in FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic View of two control systems for the welding machine of FIGS. l and 2.

Referring now in greater detail to the illustrated embodiment, and first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a iiash or butt welding machine which comprises a stationary work supporting member here shown as a block 1 which is rigid with the base or bed 15 of the welding machine and which supports a pair ofcooperating clamping members including an upper clamping die 1l and a lower clamping die 12. These dies are respectivley reciprocable by hydraulic cylinders 13, 14 and the parts 1144 together constitute a work holding means of the type as disclosed, for example, in US. Patent No. 2,875,718. rPhe purpose of the dies 11, 12 is to firmly clamp one section of a workpiece, such as a proiiled beam A which is indicated in FlG. '1 by phantom lines. The work holding cans lll-ld is capable of adjusting the position of the section A without releasing the section.

The welding machine further comprises a second work supporting member or block. 2 `for a fixed lower die 22 and for an upper die 21 which is reciprocable by a hydraulic cylinder 23 so as to move toward or away from the die 21. The parts 21-23 together constitute a second work holding means which serves to clamp a second protiled section B at the time this second section is moved into abutment with the section A and at the time the end face of this second section is pressed against the adjacent end face of the section A.

ln accordance with our invention, the `second work supporting member 2 is movable in a straight horizontal path along a horizontal guide means here shown as including two elongated tie rods 3, i each of which has one of its end portions 3a, da) anchored in the stationary supporting member il. ri`he end portions 3a, 4a are insulated from the supporting member 1 by means of suitable washers, sleeves or the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the second work supporting member 2 comprises two spaced horizontal sleeves 2a, 2b whose ends are respectively provided with slide rings 31, 41 and these rings are respectively slidably along the tie rods 3 and 4 to prevent wobbling of the second supporting member. The axes of the tie rods 3, 4 are parallel with the path of the second supporting member, Le., with the direction in which the second supporting member may transmit upsetting pressure to the sections A and B, and it will be noted that the tie rods 3, 4 are arranged symmetrically with respect to a welding station 9 at which the sections A, B are butt-ended together. Thus7 the tie rod 3 is located at a level above and the tie rod 4 is located at a level below the welding station 9, `and the line 9a connecting the axes of the rods 3, l constitutes the diameter of a circle whose center coincides with the center of the welding station and whose periphery passes through the axes of the tie rods.

T e right-hand end portion of the tie rod 4, as viewed in FIG. l, is rigidly connected with a double-acting piston 51 which isl reciprocable in an advancing cylinder 52. This piston S1 and the advancing cylinder 52 together constitute an advancing means 5 for the second supporting member, and it will be noted that one end of the advancing cylinder 52 is rigidly fixed to the supporting member 2 by a ring 53 which is coaxially secured to the right-hand slide ring 41, as viewed in FIG. 1. The other end of the advancing cylinder 52 carries a ring 54 into which is telescoped a sleeve 61 forming part of a pressure generating means 6 which applies upsetting pressure to the sections A, B once the advancing means 5 causes the supporting member 2 to assume a predetermined position in which the section B is butt-ended together With the section A. The sleeve 61 accommodates a high-pressure cylinder 62 which is rigidly secured to the piston 51 and Whose internal space 62a communicates with the lett-hand chamber 55 of the cylinder 52 through a channel 57, the latter passing through the piston 51 and having radially extending portions machined into the material of the right-hand end portion of the tie rod 4.

The right-hand portion of the high-pressure cylinder 62 receives one end of a plunger 63 which is connected to a piston member 65 reciprocable in a low-pressure cylinder ed. This cylinder is rigid with the sleeve nl and its right-hand chamber 64a communicates with a conduit 641. The piston member 65 and its cylinder 64 constitute a sluiting means for the plunger 63.

The chambers 55, 56 of the cylinder 52 respectively communicate with conduits 5511, 561 leading to a rst control means including a distributor valve 2.6% which is shown in FIG. 3. These chambers are filled with a hydraulic pressure iluid, e.g., oil, and the same fluid fills the channel 57` as well as the internal space 62a of the high-pressure cylinder 62.

The Welding machine ot FiGS. l and 2 comprises a second advancing means 7 for the supporting member 2 and a second pressure generating means 8, both cooperating with the upper tie rod 3 in the same way as describe-d in connection with the tie rod d. The conduits 55M, 56M of the advancing means 7 respectively communicate with conduits 551, Seli and the conduit 641e of the pressure generating means 8 communicates with the conduit 641. As shown in FIG. 3, the conduits 641, 641e are connected to a second control means including a regulating valve itil movable between two positions of adjustment in one of which the conduits 641, 64M receive compressed gas from a source M2 (such as a suitable air compressor) and in the other of which the conduits 641, @4i-ia communicate with the atmosphere through an outlet HB3.

The rst control means of the welding machine further comprises a source liedot liquid (such as a suitable oil tank) which is connected with the distributor valve 190 by a supply conduit itS containing a pump 1% and a pressure relief valve 107, the latter being adapted to return pressure iluid to the tank liti-4i (conduit itis) when the pressure prevailing at the downstream side ot the pump 166 reaches a predetermined value. The construction ot the valve liti@ is such that it connects the conduits 551, Sla with the conduit 1.65 when the con- Iduits 551, 551e communicate with a return line 169, or vice versa. In addition, the valve iti@ may assume an intermediate position in which i-t prevents outflow of pressure fluid from the conduits 55E, 55151 while permitting pressure fluid to escape from the conduits 561, 561m and while simultaneously sealing the conduits 551i, 551a from the supply conduit 105.

The electric circuit or" the welding machine forms no part of this invention and, therefore, need not be shown in the drawings.

The machine of FIGS. l to 3 is operated as follows:

It is assumed that the section A is already clamped between the dies 11, 12 of the Work holding means on the stationary supportingmember 1, that the section B is already clamped between the dies 2.1, 22 of the work holding means on the second supporting member Z, and that the supporting member 2 assumes an inoperative position in which it is spaced from the supporting member 1, i.e., that the vaive admits pressure fluid to the chamber Se of the advancing means 5 and to the corresponding chamber of the advancing means 7 so that the ring 53 is in abutment with the piston 51. The conduits 551, 551er communicate with vthe return line 199.

The operator then adjusts the valve 160 in a sense to admit pressure fluid to the chamber 55 and to the corresponding chamber ot the advancing means 7 while permitting the conduits 561, 561e to communicate with the return line 1%9. The second supporting member 2 then begins to move along the tie rods 3, 4 toward and into the operative position of FIG. v1. in the next step, the valve 199 is adjusted to assume the aforementioned intermediate position in which the conduits 551, 551e are sealed from the supply conduit and from the return line 1%9 Whereas the latter is free to communicate with the conduits 561, 561:2. At the same time, the valve itil is adjusted in a sense to admit compressed gas into the conduits 641, 64141 whereby the piston member 65 and the corresponding piston member of the pressure generating means 8 begin to move in a direction to the lett, as viewed in FIG. 1, so as to compel the plunger 63 to penetrate into the internal space 62a of the highressure cylinder 62 whereby the liquid iilling the chamber 5S subjects the supporting member 2 to very high upsetting pressure which is transmitted to the sections A, B land which acts to upset the butt-ended sections when their abutting faces are heated to the extent necessary to insure the formation of a satisfactory joint.

The piston member of the pressure generating means 8 exerts a similar pressure upon the fluid contained in the lett-hand chamber of the advancing cylinder forming part of the `advancing means 7 It will be noted that the piston member 65 and the plunger 63 together constitute a differential piston whose function is to advance the plunger 63 in response to comparatively low pressure of a gas admitted into the chamber 64a. It is desirable to insure that the fluid contained in the right-hand chamber 56 ot the advancing means 5 is free to escape to the tank M34 with little throttling in order to insure that requisite upsetting pressure may be generated with little delay. In other words, the conduits 562i, Sola, the valve 100 and the return line 169 should otter little resistance to flow of spent fluid from the chamber 56 and from the corresponding chamber of the advancing means 7.

When the Welding operation is completed, the valve Mii) is adjusted in a sense to connect the conduits 551, 551cv with the tank N4 and to admit pressure fluid into the conduits 561, Soia whereby the second supporting member 2 begins to move away from the stationary supporting member 1 while its rings 31, 4i merely slide along the respective tie rods. The valve lili? is adjusted simultaneously with the valve lill which then connects the conduits 641, 64M with the outlet 1(93 so that fluid contained in the high-pressure cylinder 62 automatically returns the piston member 65 to the position of FIG. l, i.e., toward the right-hand end of the low-pressure cylinder 64. Of course, the piston member forming part of the pressure generating means 8 performs a similar return stroke because the conduit 641g then communicates with the atmosphere. in other words, the advancing means 5, 7 and the pressure generating means 6, 3 operate in synchronism because the conduits 551, 561, 641 respectively communicate with the conduits 551g, 551s-, 64M.

An important advantage of the improved welding machine is that the tie rods 3, 4 are subjected to pure tensioning stresses, i.e., to stresses which act in the axial directions thereof. rillus, when the machine applies an upsetting pressure, the fluid tilling the chamber 55 tends to move the piston 5l in a direction to theright,

- as viewed in FiG. l, without subjecting the tie rod 4 to any bending or twisting stresses. Therefore, the rings 41 are not subjected to any appreciable stresses at the time the machine is called upon to apply an upsetting pressure, i.e., these rings must take up only the weight of the second supporting member 2 and of the section B. Furthermore, the construction of the guide means for the supporting member 2 is one of utmost simplicity.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a resistance welding machine, particularly in a machine in which two sections of a workpiece are buttended together, in combination, a stationary supporting member including first work holding means adapted to clamp one section of the workpiece; a second supporting member including second work holding means adapted to clamp the other section of the workpiece, said supporting members dening between themselves `a welding station and said second supporting member being movable with respect to said stationary supporting member in a straight path between a first position in which the sections clamped by the respective work holding meansare spaced apart and a second position in which the sections are buttended together at said welding station; guide means for said second supporting member, said guide means comprising a plurality of tie rods each having a rst end portion fixed to said stationary supporting member and each slidably supporting said second supporting member, said tie rods being parallel with said path and being arranged symmetrically with respect to said welding station and each thereof having a free second end portion extending beyond said supporting member so that said second supporting member is located between said stationary supporting member and said free second end portions; and advancing means provided on said second end portions for advancing said second supporting member, said advancing means comprising a double-acting piston fixed to the second end portion of the respective tie rod, an advancing cylinder xed to said second supporting member and reciprocably receiving the respective piston, each of said advancing cylinders dening a pair of internal chambers disposed at the opposite sides of the respective piston, a source of pressure fluid, control means for selectively admitting pressure fluid to said chambers so that said second supporting member is moved toward said stationary supporting member when one of said chambers receives pressure fluid and that the second supporting member is moved away from said stationary supporting member when the other chamber receives pressure fluid, and pressure generating means, one for each of .said tie rods, for applying upsetting pressure to the butt end sections of the workpiece when said second supporting member assumes said second position, each of said pressure generating means comprising a high pressure cylinder rigid with the second end portion of the respective tie rod and defining an internal space communicating with the one chamber of the respective advancing cylinder, a plunger reciprocable in said internal space, and shifting means for moving said plunger to thereby increase the pressure within said one chamber when the plunger is moved in a direction to displace the fluid in said space.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said shifting means comprises a piston member connected with the respective plunger, a low-pressure cylinder rigid with the respective high-pressure cylinder, a second source of pressure fluid, and second control means for selectively admitting second pressure fluid into said low-pressure cylinders.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein said first uid is a liquid and wherein said second iiuid is a gas.

4. A combination as set forth in claim 2, wherein each plunger and the respective piston member together constitute a differential piston.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second end portion of each tie rod is provided with a bore having one end opening into the internal space defined by the corresponding high-pressure cylinder and the other end opening into said one chamber of the respective advancing cylinder, whereby said space and said chamber communicate with each other.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,525,862 10/50 Carpenter et al 219-101 2,892,914 6/59 Rudd 219--101 X 3,065,536 11/62 Chapman 219-101 X RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A RESISTANCE WELDING MACHINE, PARTICULARLY IN A MACHINE IN WHICH TWO SECTIONS OF A WORKPIECE ARE BUTTENDED TOGETHER, IN COMBINATION, A STATIONARY SUPPORTING MEMBER INCLUDING FIRST WORK HOLDING MEANS ADAPTED TO CLAMP ONE SECTION OF THE WORKPIECE; A SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER INCLUDING SECOND WORK HOLDING MEANS ADAPTED TO CLAMP THE OTHER SECTION OF THE WORKPIECE, SAID SUPPORTING MEMBERS DEFINING BETWEEN THEMSELVES A WELDING STATION AND SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER BEING MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID STATIONARY SUPPORTING MEMBER IN A STRAIGHT PATH BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH THE SECTIONS CLAMPED BY THE RESPECTIVE WORK HOLDING MEANS ARE SPACED APART AND A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH THE SECTIONS ARE BUTTENDED TOGETHER AT SAID WELDING STATION; GUIDE MEANS FOR SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER, SAID GUIDE MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF TIE RODS EACH HAVING A FIRST END PORTION FIXED TO SAID STATIONARY SUPPORTING MEMBER AND EACH SLIDABLY SAID SUPPORTING SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER, SAID TIE RODS BEING PARALLEL WITH SAID PATH AND BEING ARRANGED SYMMETRICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID WELDING STATION EXTENDING BEYOND OF HAVING A FREE SECOND END PORTION EXTENDING BEYOND SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER SO THAT SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER IS LOCATED BETWEEN SAID STATIONARY SUPPORTING MEMBER AND SAID FREE SECOND END PORTIONS; AND ADVANCING MEANS PROVIDED ON SAID SECOND END PORTIONS FOR ADVANCING SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER, SAID ADVANCING MEANS COMPRISING A DOUBLE-ACTING PISTON FIXED TO THE SECOND END PORTION OF THE RESPECTIVE TIE ROD, AN ADVANCING CYLINDER FIXED TO SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER AND RECIPROCABLY RECEIVING THE RESPECTIVE PISTON, EACH OF SAID ADVANCING CYLINDERS DEFINING A PAIR OF INTERNAL CHAMBERS DISPOSED AT THE OPPOSIDE SIDES OF THE RESPECTIVE PISTON, A SOURCE OF PRESSURE FLUID, CONTROL MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ADMITTING PRESSURE FLUID TO SAID CHAMBERS SO THAT SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER IS MOVED TOWARD SAID STATIONARY SUPPORTING MEMBER WHEN ONE OF SAID CHAMBERS RECEIVES PRESSURE FLUID AND THAT THE SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER IS MOVED OTHER FROM SAID STATIONARY SUPPORTING MEMBER WHEN THE OTHER CHAMBER RECEIVES PRESSURE FLUID, AND PRESSURE GENERATING MEANS, ONE FOR EACH OF SAID TIE RODS, FOR APPLYING UPSETTING PRESSURE TO THE BUTT END SECTIONS OF THE WORKPIECE WHEN SAID SECOND SUPPORTING MEMBER ASSUMES SAID SECOND POSITION, EACH OF SAID PRESSURE GENERATING MEANS COMPRISING A HIGH PRESSURE CYLINDER RIFID WITH THE SECOND END PORTION OF THE RESPECTIVE TIE ROD AND DEFINING AN INTERNAL SPACE COMMUNICATING WITH THE ONE CHAMBER OF THE RESPECTIVE ADVANCING CYLINDER, A PLUNGER RECIPROCABLE IN SAID INTERNAL SPACE, AND SHIFTING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PLUNGER TO THEREBY INCREASE THE PRESSURE WITHIN SAID ONE CHAMBER WHEN THE PLUNGER IS MOVED IN A DIRECTION A DISPLACE THE FLUID IN SAID SPACE. 